Emergency air-brake



PATENTBD JAN. 5, v1904.

W. H. HONSBERGER- EMERGENGY AIR BRAKE.

APPLIUATION FILED 0GT.17.1903.

N0 MODEL.

@NSN

, tire system described being intact.

UNITED gSTATES Patented anuary 5, 1904.,

PATENT OFFICE.

EMERGENCY AIR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. '748,733,6lated January 5, 1904.

Application filed October 17, 1903. Serial No. 177,401. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. HoNsBEi-i- GER, a citizen of the United States, residing in Buffalo, New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Emergency Air-Brakes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to airbrakes, and more particularly to emergency air-brakes to be employed in connection with what is commonly known as the straight-air-brake system.

To that end my invention consists of the several improvements which are clearly shown in the drawings herewith, in which- Figure 1 is a diagram view of a straight-airbrake system and my system in connection with it, showing the same as applied to a single car and also as connected up with a second car or trailer. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of my emergency-valve. is a detailed section ot the emergency-valve.

I will iirst indicate the common and wellknown straight-air system, as Vshown in the diagram of Fig. 1, and then describe myvemergency system in connection with it. 1 is a reservoir for containing air under pressure.

2 is a compressor. 3 is a governor governing the compressor. The compressor and governor may be actuated by any well-known means and may be of any Weil-known type. 4 is a brake-cylinder, the piston of which is connected with the brake-shoe mechanism in the usual manner. 5 is a reservoir-pipe. 6 is the train-line pipe. '7 is a three-way valve, by means of which the pressure in the reservoir-pipe is supplied to or cut off from the train-line. 8 is a removable handle attached to this valve, by which the engineer operates the same. 9 is the vent-pipe by which the pressure upon the train -pipe is removed through the three-way valve 7 when it is desii-ed to release the brake. The train-pipes where two or more cars are hitched up in Jtrain are connected by the usual flexible couplings, as shown at 10. In this system, which is the common one in use, it will be noted that the control of the air is entirely under the hand of the engineer and that its operativeness at'a given time depends upon the en- It will also be noted that neither the conductor of Fig. 3-

the car nor the conductor of the trailer have any control of the air, and it will also be noted that in the event of the failure of the pump at any time to supply the necessary pressure in the reservoir or in the event of a burst of lthe reservoir the entire system is entirely quite insufficient in an emergency on cars or I trains running at a high speed.

Having thus generally indicated the apparatus incommon use, I Will now describe my improvements as employed in connection with it.I

11 is an emergency-reservoir, which is connected with the reservoir-pipe by means of a short pipe 12. In the pipe 12 is a valve 13. The reservoir l1 carries a gage 111, by which the operator may know what pressure he has upon his emergency-reservoir. The emergency reservoir connects with4 a pipe 15 through a two-Way valve 16. The pipe 15 connects with a branch 17, which leads to the emergency-valve 18, which in turn connects with the pipe 19, connecting the train-pipe with the brake-cylinder 11. A pipe 2O leads fromv the emergency-reservoir 11 to the opposite end of the car and through a two-way valve 16', similar to the valve 16, connecting with a pipe 21, which in turn connects with the pipe 17, leading to the emergency-valve 18. Petcocks 22 are placed in the pipes 15 and 21 to release the pressure after the emergency system has been used.

The emergency-valve is clearly shown in Fig.v2. At its upper end is au opening 23, which is in direct connection with the trainpipe, and also an opening 24, which is in direct connection with the pipe i9, which leads to the cylinder 4. Between these openings is a semicylindrical o1' crown-shaped area 25, which conforms in construction exactly to the Hvalve 26. and its crown-seat 25 are such that when the valve 26 is forced upward, as hereinafter described, it will entirely close the passage between 23 and 24, thus shutting oi the connection between the train-pipe and the brakecylinder.

The construction of the valve 264 27 is a passage in direct connection with the emergency-pipe l5, and 28 is a by-pass which connects the opening 27 with the opening 24 when the valve 26 is raised to a position where its base occupies the position shown in broken line in Fig. 2.

The valve 16, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, has an opening 29, which is in connection with the emergency-reservoir 11 and a passage 30, which is in connection with the pipe. 15, leading to the emergency-valve. When the stem of this valve is turned so as to connect these passages, the pressure is communicated from the emergency-reservoir cylinder through the channels 29 30, the pipes 15 and 17 to the oase of the valve 26 through the opening 27. The opening 27 directly below the valve 26 is enlarged in cross-section in order to give the pressure through the emergency-line greater power over the valve 26 to insure its being raised.

If for any reason it is desired to use the emergency system, the valve 16 is operated, connecting the emergency-reservoir through the pipes 15 and 17 with the emergency-valve, and the lirst action is to throw the valve 26 upward and seat it in 25, thus shutting off the regular connection between the train-pipe and the brake-cylinder. Immediately when this is done the pressure from the emergency- 4cylinder passes through the channel 27 and the by-pass 28 into the channel 24, and the pipe 19 acts upon the piston-head of the cylinder 4. After the action of the brake through the emergency system the petcock 22 is opened,releasing the pressureupon the brakecylinder and also allowing the valve 26 to drop back by gravity, thus restablishing the connection between the regular train-pipe and the brake-cylinder.

As above stated, the emergency-reservoir connects through the pipe 20 and a two-way valve 16' with a pipe 21, which leads back through the pipe 17 to the emergency-valve 18. This valve 16 is located upon the opposite end of the car and is under the control of the conductor. If for any reason the engineer is unable to apply the brakes from his end of the car, the conductor can operate the valve 16', which will carry the pressure from the emergency-reservoir 11 through the emergency-valve 18'in precisely the same manner as above described with reference to the valve 16.

The train-pipe of the forward carv being connected through the coupling 10 with the train-pipe of the trailer or trailers, an emergency-cylinder 11' is provided upon the rear car or cars,and a duplication of the emergency system above described is connected up with it. The emergency-cylinder being charged, in the event of necessity the conductor of the attached car or cars may apply the emergency air by operating the two-way Valve 16". Furthermore, in order to insure prompt stopping of the cars in the event of their breaking in two I connect the handles of the valves 16 and 16 by means of a chain or cable 32. Thus it will be seen that in the event of the train breaking in two the chain or cable 32 will throw both valves 16' and 16" and apply -the emergency air to both cars immediately.

It will be understood that other forms of emergency-valves than that shown by me may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention; but the valve which I have shown is simple in construction andnot liable to get out of order or to fail to operate. It will also be understood that separate emergency-valves, when actuated through a pipe from each end of the car, may be employed without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention and its method of operation, what I claim is-- 1. In combination with a straight-air system, an emergency system, comprising an emergency-reservoir, an emergency-valve capable of connection therewith,and connection with a brake-cylinder, and a valve for establishing said connection, substantially as and for the purposes set forth. n

2. In combination with a straight-air system, an emergency reservoir, means for charging the same from the regular system, an emergency-valve, piping connecting said emergency-valve with said emergency-reservoir, a valve for opening and closing said connection, said emergency-valve operating to close the train pipe connection with a brake-cylinder and to establish connection between said brake-cylinder and said emergency-reservoir, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In combination with a straight-air system, an emergency system comprising an emergency-cylinder, and an emergency-valve pipe capable of connecting said emergencycylinder with said emergency-valve, and said emergency-valve being capable of cutting 0E the connection of the trainpipe with the brake-cylinder, and valves situated upon opposite ends of the car to which the system is applied, whereby the operation of either valve will close the emergency-reservoir withthe emergency-valve, and cause the brake-cylinder to act, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

4. In combination with a train system employing the straight-air system, emergencyreservoirs, emergency-valves, and piping connecting the same provided upon each unit of the system, means for charging said emergency-reservoirs from the train-pipes of said system, valves upon each unit of the system for applying the pressure of the emergencyreservoirs to cut o the connection between the train-pipe and the brake-cylinder, and to apply the pressure of the emergency-reservoir to the brake-cylinder, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

5. In combination with a straight-air system applied to a train system, emergencyreservoirs, emergency-valves, and piping con- IOO IIO

neeting the same, means for charging said emergency-reservoirs from the `main reservoirs, valves in the pipe of said emergency system and a chain or cable connecting the levers of the valves upon the two adjacent ends of the units of the train, whereby in the event of a breaking in the train, said chain or cable will operate both of said valves and apply the' emergency air to both of the units,

substantially as and for the purposes set ro forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

WlLLIAM H. HONSBERGER..

Witnesses GEO. L. HAGER, S. BROWN. 

